The invention described herein was made in the course of work under a grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
This invention relates to a method for increasing renal blood flow without affecting cardiac contractility. More particularly, this invention relates to increasing renal blood flow without affecting cardiac contractility by administering suitable dosages of certain N,N-dialkyl substituted derivatives of dopamine.
Dopamine (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine) has the ability to dilate renal mesenteric and other blood vessels by acting on specific dopamine receptors. Because of this action dopamine is useful in the treatment of shock and congestive heart failure. The basic aspects relating to the activity of dopamine are well known and are reviewed by L. I. Goldberg, Pharmacol. Rev., 24:19, 1972; clinical uses are described by L. I. Goldberg, New Eng. J. Med., 291:707, 1974. Both of these citations are incorporated herein by references as illustrative of the state of the art.
Although dopamine is effective in increasing renal blood flow, it may be contra-indicated in certain patients because it stimulates the heart by acting on .beta.-adrenergic receptors and by releasing norepinephrine from myocardial storage sites.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of increasing renal blood flow without at the same time stimulating cardiac activity. It is a further object of this invention to increase renal blood flow without stimulating cardiac activity by administering certain N,N-dialkyl substituted derivatives of dopamine. These and other objects will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.